The spiritual practice this week was Lectio Divina, which is Latin for "divine reading." It is a way of prayerfully engaging the words of Scripture. Known mainly as a monastic tradition, it is a practice that can benefit us all.
There are four stages of Lectio Divina: Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, and Contemplatio.
- Lectio is the reading stage, where a short passage of Scripture is read slowly and intentionally. The text is read a few times, letting the words sink into the self. This is like taking a bite of Scripture.
- Meditatio is a time of reflection, an openness to the guidance of the Spirit as we think about the meaning of the text. This is like chewing the bite of Scripture taken in the first stage.
- Oratio is when we respond to the text by opening the self to God's presence. Here, thinking stops, as our heart enters into communion with the divine. This is a somewhat mystical stage that is like savoring the taste and source of the bite of Scripture taken.
- Contemplatio is a time of rest, when we let go, not only of worldly things, but also of our spiritual thoughts and aspirations. Here, we rest in the presence of God in Scripture and within the self. Here, we allow the Spirit transform us as we rest. This is like the bite of Scripture taken being digested and integrated into the body.
After these four stages, we re-enter the world, transformed and nourished for the work of the day.
Lectio Divina can also be done in a small group. I once experienced this with the Dominican Sisters. Someone read the passage aloud slowly, and then we observed a period of silence for individual reflection/meditation. Then each person, if she wished, may share something that stood out for her. Another person then read the same passage again aloud slowly, and the process repeated. We read the passage three times, and continued with reflection and sharing each time. There was much silence and pauses throughout the process. It was interesting how the same passage may have quite different message to each person. At the end we ended with prayer. There was a leader who gently facilitated through it. I personally felt it was a refreshing experience.
ReplyDeleteLectio Divina, at first may seem like an abtract, mystical practice that is hard to grasp, but I think we just have to start with baby steps. Like any meditation practice, it ushers us to into a slower rhythm than we normally used to. I have a hard time with it because, by myself, I have a tendency to want to get through the passage as quickly as possible, like reading any other book, then search in my head whatever clever insight I can come up with on my own, instead of really just sitting with the text and ruminate on it. At times things would just flow out of me, and I knew it was really the Holy Spirit, but that doesn't happen all the time, or even most of the time, I think. It takes discipline to quiet down my own thoughts. I find that it helps to just focus on the phrase/words that stood out for me, and keep them in mind as I go on through the rest of the day. Sometimes those text take on new meaning when seen in the context of a daily situation. I think that's the transformative element that JB mentioned.